Market Watch – Buying a house as an Airbnb investment strategy is a risky move

August 31, 2016
While looking to buy a primary home in the Southeastern U.S., Matt Berklacy kept Airbnb in mind, hoping to earn extra income and participate in the home-sharing culture. The problem: He couldn’t get a clear answer on whether or not the cities or neighborhoods he targeted allowed short-term rentals. “You have to do a lot of digging, and it’s confusing,” Berklacy said. Potential homeowners like Berklacy, as well as real-estate investors, have increasingly considered buying primary or secondary homes and apartments with the intention of listing them on Airbnb, which can take lower commissions than other home-rental strategies. But because regulation of Airbnb dwellings is still being decided on a largely city-by-city basis, and sometimes involves outdated regulations that neither prohibit nor allow the listings, it’s hard to confidently make a long-term real-estate investment with that idea in mind….
Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/buying-a-house-as-an-airbnb-investment-strategy-is-a-risky-move-2016-08-30